The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, First Edition with Presentation Inscription, 1937

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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, First Edition with Presentation Inscription, 1937

About the Item

First edition, first printing, of J. R .R. Tolkien's fantasy classic—”among the very highest achievements of children’s authors during the 20th century” (Carpenter & Pritchard, 530)—one of only 1500 copies printed. A beautiful, finely bound leather copy in matching cloth slipcase. This copy is unique in that it has Tolkien's name written inside the book on the front fly leaf with an inscription below which reads: "To Kathryn from the Lewis family. Christmas 1941." Although we've been unable to confidently authenticate the JRR Tolkien name or the inscription -- there is a possibility that the inscription is from a C.S. Lewis family member. The Tolkien and Lewis families were very close, especially the friendship between the two famous Oxford professors and fantasy authors. Lewis and Tolkien met in 1926 and soon after discovered they shared a like-minded interest in languages, poetry, myth and storytelling. They both avoided contemporary culture, neither had a car nor would drive one, and both largely ignored politics and the news. And in their fledgling efforts as novelists, they served as each others first readers. “The unpayable debt that I owe to him was not influence but sheer encouragement,” Tolkien wrote decades later. “He was for long my only audience.” (Gilsdorf) "The two soon became fast friends — even though Lewis had established himself in the literature faction of the English faculty, while Tolkien placed himself firmly on the linguistics and history of languages side. (Tolkien disliked most literature and found little use for any work penned after the medieval era). Together they helped revise the English syllabus, and for the first time, the Oxford English School created a dialogue between the philology and literature camps." (Gilsdorf) "Intellectually, they craved each other’s companionship. But their relationship had emotional depth as well. They bonded over their harrowing experiences in the trenches of World War I. They shared the loss of their parents, which they had both endured as children. Sorrow over their pasts and their retreat from modernity gave them no where to go but their imaginations. They lost themselves in anachronistic tales and created make-believe places — engaging in what today we might disparagingly call “escapism.” Of course, the realms of Lewis’ Narnia and Tolkien’s Middle-earth are fraught with troubles, wars, and imperfections, at least as much as our so-called real world." (Gilsdorf) The Hobbit, now widely hailed as a landmark work not only of children’s literature but also of world fantasy, had a humble origin. “All I can remember about the start of The Hobbit,” Tolkien would later recall in a letter to his friend W.H. Auden, “is sitting correcting School Certificate papers in the everlasting weariness of that annual task forced on impecunious academics with children. On a blank leaf I scrawled: ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.’ I did not and do not know why. I did nothing about it, for a long time… but it became The Hobbit in the early 1930s.” “Professor Tolkien’s epic of Middle Earth… [is considered] one of [the 20th] century’s lasting contributions to that borderland of literature between youth and age." (Eyre, 67). Published on September 21, 1937 in a first printing of only 1500 copies, The Hobbit was completely sold out by December 15 of that same year. Since we can't absolutely authenticate the hypothesis we've presented regarding association we've priced this collectible first edition, first printing accordingly. Still an exceptional true first edition of Professor Tolkien's classic novel of fantasy. Published in London: George Allen & Unwin, 1937.

Dimensions:
Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Width: 1 in (2.54 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1937
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. As visible in the photographs, the front fly leaf bears previous owners' signature and inscription. Though the relationship between J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis ranks as one of the most well-know literary friendships and it would make sense if one we.
Seller Location:
Colorado Springs, CO
Reference Number:
Seller: BK03221stDibs: LU909710247373